Energy optimization of a vertical farm in a Canadian hemiboreal humid climate

IF 7 2区工程技术 Q1 ENERGY & FUELS

Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments Pub Date : 2026-05-01 Epub Date: 2026-04-27 DOI:10.1016/j.seta.2026.104987

Sanchez Logan, Lubitz William

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

High energy consumption is common in environmentally controlled indoor vertical farms. Energy modelling of vertical farms can be used to quantify consumption and trial potential efficiency improvements. A TRNSYS model was developed of an existing indoor hydroponic vertical farm in Timmins, Ontario, Canada. The model is shown to reliably predict indoor environmental conditions, equipment runtime, and energy consumption for the existing facility. Predictions of monthly farm consumption to energy billing records showed good overall agreement, with a mean absolute percentage error of 9.1%, mean percentage error of −3.5%, CV-RMSE of 14.30%, and NMBE of −3.05%. The model was next used to investigate improving facility energy efficiency by implementing either outdoor ventilation or an air-to-air heat exchanger (AAHX). Use of an AAHX is recommended, as predicted cost savings were consistently higher than those of the ventilator at current electricity and CO₂ costs. However, results are shown to be sensitive to input electricity and CO₂ costs. If the CO₂ cost were halved, the ventilator would be recommended, as it would achieve greater overall cost savings than the AAHX.

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加拿大半寒带湿润气候下垂直农场的能源优化

在环境控制的室内垂直农场中，高能耗是常见的。垂直农场的能源模型可以用来量化消耗和试验潜在的效率改进。TRNSYS模型是在加拿大安大略省Timmins现有的室内水培垂直农场开发的。结果表明，该模型能够可靠地预测现有设施的室内环境条件、设备运行时间和能耗。月度农场消费与能源账单记录的预测显示出良好的总体一致性，平均绝对百分比误差为9.1%，平均百分比误差为- 3.5%，CV-RMSE为14.30%，NMBE为- 3.05%。该模型接下来被用于研究通过实施室外通风或空气对空气热交换器（AAHX）来提高设施能源效率。建议使用AAHX，因为按照目前的电力和二氧化碳成本计算，预计节省的成本始终高于通风机。然而，结果显示对输入电力和二氧化碳成本很敏感。如果二氧化碳成本减半，那么推荐使用呼吸机，因为它可以比AAHX节省更多的总成本。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments Energy-Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

CiteScore

12.70

自引率

12.50%

发文量

1091

期刊介绍： Encouraging a transition to a sustainable energy future is imperative for our world. Technologies that enable this shift in various sectors like transportation, heating, and power systems are of utmost importance. Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments welcomes papers focusing on a range of aspects and levels of technological advancements in energy generation and utilization. The aim is to reduce the negative environmental impact associated with energy production and consumption, spanning from laboratory experiments to real-world applications in the commercial sector.